SZERSZEN LIST 2011

SZERSZEN LIST 2011

After the last diving at the wreck, which we identified as Akademik Karpiński.

And when it turned out that Szerszeń had been there before us, I decided to call him and ask how many surprises like that he still had in store, Andrzej told me how in the years 2001 -2004, he and Rafał Szaniawski performed a series of dives, from a sailing boat, on completely new positions which we again “discover” today.

There was Papierowiec, a steamboat with a steering wheel and some other unnamed wrecks.

After exchange of data it turned out that there was only one shipwreck left from the list of Andrzej and Rafał, where I still had not dived, lying quite far away from the bank, about 7 km to the south-east from Stauben at the depth of 80 m.

On the last weekend Marek Cacaj organized another trip to Slupsk Shoal, so I had an opportunity to check this last position. According to the list prepared by the boys the shipwreck was big, but it protruded too much above the bottom, about 4 to 10 m. This was in fact the only wreck, which they found, but in which they did not dive.

I did not have to persuade Marek and and on Saturday, at 11:00 p.m. we went to the sea. We were above the position at 6:00 a.m in the morning, the echosounder actually showed a big unit, which made us very happy, unfortunately the depth on the screen was a slight surprise – as much as 89 m.

I had gas for diving down to 76 m, because this was the depth I had expected there. Marek and my colleagues had cylinders with “deeper” mixes, so the situation was easier and they started to slowly get ready to descend. My reason struggled with the willingness to dive at the new wreck and finally, with a great difficulty, I decided to give up. Suddenly Piotr Lalik said, that he had stages to the cylinder with gases 15/55 and I could take them. After a moment, wearing the entire gear and holding a camera, I went with Marek to the water.

Down to 70 m i was falling using the gas supply on my back to save stages, after a while I changed it and we reached the bottom – It was beautiful, the depth of 87 m, but no wreck in sight.

Actually, we should have withdrawn, but Marek was not a kind of guy who gives up easily and calmly attached the spinning wheel, we started to go around the anchor line and, partially intuitively, we found the wreck in the 7th minute. Visibility at the bottom was OK, unfortunately slightly above 81m right above the deck, it turned completely milky-white (it was probably a layer hydrogen sulphide present at this depth).

To be brief, it was lousy – add to this current and tremendous quantity of the nets. Diving stopped being pleasant. We forced ourselves to go a few more metres, trying to take a look at the shipwreck, which at this visibility was quite hard.

Partly to have “a souvenir”, I turned the camera on and tool a few pictures on which I could see nothing.

and in the 17th minute I showed Marek that I had enough. We went to the anchoring line and with true pleasure, I started to go up.

Konrad Dubiel who came to us, could clearly see the central chock of the chain on the bow and the superstructure with a chimney stack and a skylight. Long story short, it looked like a barge. But the mystery was not solved completely.

Eager for more experiences, we went to Papierowiec, which we knew better and better, and where diving was, as opposed to the first one, pleasant, nice and easy.

and then almost in the evening another diver came to the Overturned Steamboat.
Usually it is picturesque, we descended after 7:00 p.m., so it was almost night diving.

the wreck is loaded with coal and is one of more picturesque ones on the Shoal

After 26 hours we went to Darłowo. It seemed that the last item from the Szerszeń’s list was checked.